Saf

Raw feast

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Funky Gourmet is a new vegan food endeavour that you might want to take notice of if you were a fan of Saf.

Fatih Guven (head chef and founder of Funky Gourmet catering) used to work as head chef in Saf at Zerwick in Munich as well as Saf Shoreditch and Saf Kensington in London. Fatih now works as a personal and private chef, preparing meals for clients according to their special nutritional requirements. He caters for events, weddings and birthdays.

This is all sounds wonderful but what if you aren’t getting married anytime soon? Can you still get some of the good stuff?

You bet.

Faith is running an incredible-sounding event for just one night in west London. Check out this menu!

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Life after Saf

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If you have walked past the empty interior of Saf inside Whole Foods Market Kensington this week, you would not have been able to miss the following sign.

Sign of things to come
Sign of things to come

I got a little bit excited by this visual announcement, dreaming of the possibilities. Could it be a vegan bakery? Or a Mexican counter?

I asked a Whole Foods team member to explain all, but the only information I could squeeze out of them was that the space is set to be home to a pasta bar. No details were given on how vegan-friendly the options will be.

I’ll keep you updated as the details roll in. In the meantime, take a moment to remember one of the finest vegan eateries to ever grace the capital. RIP Saf.

Saf set to close

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I would like to offer you the choice of hearing the good news or the bad news first, but to be honest I only have devastating news.

I am decidedly depressed to break the news that Saf Restaurant & Bar located in Whole Foods Market Kensington is set to close forever.

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Reward for you

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What’s better than a gorgeous vegan meal in a convenient central London location?  A 10% discount off your total bill at the end of your meal, that’s what!

I had the pleasure of working with Saf Restaurant & Bar to help deliver a memorable dinner party on New Year’s Eve and now I get the thrill of offering a special discount to all my readers.

Saf reached out to ask if my readers would like a discount to dine with them until February 28th, 2014 at a 10% discount. I said, “Of course!”.

The restaurant has an attractive menu featuring raw starters, hearty mains, irresistible desserts and an impressive selection of vegan drinks. I truly believe it is the leader of the pack in London at the moment for vegan dining.

How do you get the discount?

Gorgeous, unique dessert of white chocolate dumplings with vanilla ice cream in cinnamon broth
White chocolate dumplings with vanilla ice cream in cinnamon broth

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Burger

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You know I adore Saf. I love them so much I even worked with them to host a New Year’s Eve dinner and now I have even another reason to be a fan. Their mouthwatering burger is now available for £4.50 as a bar snack. Perfect for a quick bite. Maybe you can even find the time to wash it down with a vegan beer or cocktail. I see a lot of these burgers in my future!

See this and other photos over on my Instagram account.

New Year’s Cheer

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24 hours on, I am still a bit worn out from hosting my vegan New Year’s Eve dinner for 70 people at Saf Restaurant & Bar. It was a lot of hard work, but well worth it. Every single guest looked to be having a fantastic night out.

My pal Luke has kindly offered to stop by and give you his take on the evening. You can follow Luke on Twitter and check out his blog.

Tell us what you thought, Luke.

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NYE with FGV

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Make your last meal of 2013 extra special as Fat Gay Vegan partners with vegan cuisine leaders Saf to bring you a New Year’s Eve supper club to be remembered. Book now or read on for more details.

Saf Restaurant & Bar (located inside Whole Foods Market on Kensington High Street) serve some of the finest plant-based food in the UK. Every item featured on the Saf menu is world class and lovingly-prepared by the staff.

This exclusive New Year’s Eve event will see Saf closed to the public and will feature a 3 course meal (2 options for each course) with a fizzy welcome cocktail all for £30 (+fee) per person. Fat Gay Vegan (that’s me!) will greet and host throughout the dinner.

There will be time to mingle around the bar and diners can purchase extra wine, cocktails or beer from Saf. All alcohol served in the restaurant is vegan and there are gluten free drink options.

The event will commence at 7pm and come to an end at 10pm, allowing diners time to spirit away into the night to ring in midnight with friends and loved ones.

View the evening’s menu below.

Book now to be part of this special meal.

Limited availability. No refunds.

See my recent review of Saf here.

Saf’s what I’m talking about

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Almost every day. That is how often I get emails or tweets asking for my London vegan dining recommendations.

Of course I don’t mind giving my opinion. The belief that my view matters is the self-centred reason I write a blog. However, I was getting a bit tired of saying that I thought London wasn’t a patch on other international cities when it came to vegan cuisine. Sure, we have some OK places to eat plant-based food but I was never overly impressed the way I have been by Gentle Gourmet in Paris or Vedge in Philadelphia.

Well, finally we have something in the UK capital that I am more than happy to recommend. Vegans and vegan-curious, say hello to the re-imagined  Saf Restaurant & Bar menu.

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Friends reunited

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London can be a beating.

Living in such a huge city of course has its advantages, but you can also get swallowed up in the sheer scale of things. I have friends who live on the other side of the city and I can get through an entire calendar year without seeing them. Everyone is busy and it can take hours to get across town.

One victim of London’s gigantism is Saf. This 100% vegan restaurant is one of the finest places for plant eaters to dine out in the capital, but I rarely make it along. One of the last times I visited was for this blog post from April 2011. That is far too long between visits.

This week I decided to bridge the gap between myself and Saf. I slipped in on my own for a quick lunch and my choice of main was exquisite. I adored my Summer Risotto featuring  organic Arborio rice with a miso cream, fresh broad beans, grilled courgettes, roasted garlic and saffron all topped with a shaved fennel salad.

£11 is a fair chunk to pay for a main meal but the quality and freshness of my meal warranted the price tag. It was delicious and felt as though someone had really considered the combination of ingredients.

Risotto at Saf
Risotto at Saf

I am so glad I have reconnected with Saf. I promise I won’t let London come between us ever again.

Visit Saf online

Crunchy curry

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If you read this blog with any level of regularity, you will be aware that not all of my food choices are the healthiest available. From beer to flavoured wine cooler and chocolate to deep-fried anything, this fat gay vegan knows very well how he got his name.

This predisposition for vegan junk food doesn’t always rule my life. Sometimes I shock even myself by opting for the healthy option.

I was recently (s)trolling the aisles of my local health food store when my eyes set upon an interesting sight indeed. As quickly as my chubby, queer fingers could move, I snapped up a container of raw, curried-flavoured kale chips. Oh yes… curried kale chips!

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